1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the architecture of electronic control systems, including electronic control systems for electromechanical and hydraulic actuators, systems, and components.
2. Description of the Related Art
The functions of electromechanical, hydraulic, and other actuators may be controlled through an electronic control architecture. Known control system architectures generally include minimal, if any, redundancy or other measures for addressing faults. Thus, in a control architecture for one or more electromechanical, hydraulic, or other components (such as, for example, in an aircraft), failure of a single element of the control architecture may lead to failure of the entire actuation system.
Control architecture failure may be particularly problematic in the aircraft industry. The electromechanical, hydraulic, and other actuation systems of the aircraft are generally subject to FAA requirements to function for a minimum amount of time without failure (so-called “failure to actuate” requirements). For many such actuation systems, the control architecture (e.g., the small-signals processing elements of the architecture) may have a shorter and/or less predictable life span than the power drive electronics, mechanical components, and other portions of the system. Thus, the control architecture may be the most limiting portion of the functional life span of the broader system of which the control architecture is a part.